Nancy Rader Whitehead

Partner

Email: nwhitehead@employerlaw.com

Nancy Rader Whitehead is a partner with the law firm of Scott & Whitehead, specializing in discrimination, wrongful termination and employment law advice. She holds a Martindale-Hubbell AV® rating, and is listed as an outstanding lawyer in “Best Lawyers in America” a national peer-review publication for the legal profession.

Ms. Whitehead has practiced law in Orange County since 1982. She has handled cases in state and federal courts, and has regularly appeared in courts throughout California. Throughout her career, Ms. Whitehead has been lead attorney in jury and court trials and arbitrations.

Ms. Whitehead represents employers and companies in wrongful termination and discrimination cases. Ms. Whitehead also represents employers in single plaintiff cases and class actions involving allegations of wage and hour or other California Labor Code violations. She has defended private and public sector employers in claims of sex, race, age and national origin discrimination and has extensive experience in handling cases involving sexual harassment and whistle-blower retaliation. Ms. Whitehead has also conducted independent investigations on employment-related issues.

Ms. Whitehead has significant experience representing parties in unfair competition actions involving trade secrets, proprietary information and employee solicitations. Ms. Whitehead has prosecuted and defended cases for individuals, partnerships, and private and publicly-held corporations involving issues of breach of fiduciary duty, securities fraud, breach of contract, shareholder and partnership disputes, intentional and negligent misrepresentation, infliction of emotional distress, alter ego allegations, mechanic's lien claims and attorney and accountant malpractice.

Some examples of Ms. Whitehead's litigation experience are:

• Obtained a defense jury verdict after a five week trial in a disability discrimination and sexual harassment retaliation case, in which the jury deliberated for only three hours. For the same client, Ms. Whitehead successfully obtained summary judgments in four other employment-related matters brought against the company, for a total of five defense decisions in five litigated matters.
• Represented the Orange County Sanitation Districts in a lawsuit brought by a very senior executive who claimed he was wrongfully discharged. The executive's case attracted the attention of a well-known employee-rights law firm who played to the sympathies of the press and jury during trial. On appeal, the executive's termination was upheld and the public agency paid nothing in damages.

In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Whitehead counsels with management in the review, development, and implementation of personnel policies and practices.

Ms. Whitehead graduated in 1982 from the University of Southern California School of Law, where she served as a member of the law review, and was the published author of a law review Note. Ms. Whitehead received her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona in 1979. Ms. Whitehead began her career with the Orange County based law firm of Stradling, Yocca, Carlson & Rauth where she practiced in the litigation department for five years. From 1987 to 1993, Ms. Whitehead practiced with the litigation boutique firm of Corbett & Steelman. Ms. Whitehead joined Scott & Whitehead as a partner in May 1993.

Ms. Whitehead is a member of Orange County Women Lawyers and the Orange County Bar Association. She was a founding Board Member of Hands Together - A Center for Children, a non-profit child care center for the working poor in downtown Santa Ana.

Admitted to Practice

• California, 1982

Awards

• AV® Preeminent™
• Best Lawyers in America

Education

• University of Southern California School of Law
• J.D., 1982
• California State Polytechnic University
• B.A., 1979

Professional Memberships

• Orange County Women Lawyers Association
• Orange County Bar Association